Willie Mullins is the best trainer on both sides of the Irish Sea and JP McManus is one of the biggest owners. This could prove to be a dangerous combination for the bookies at Aintree on Thursday, as the pair are represented with three runners. When combined, they form a 60-1 treble and the bookies will be praying it doesn’t come in. Our Day 1 tips for Aintree’s Grand National Festival can be found here. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Saint Roi (7-2, bet365) finished third in the Arkle at Cheltenham when last seen. On the evidence of that run, he may well benefit from the step up to 2m4f. He didn’t quite have the pace to live with El Fabiolo and Jonbon that day but he does have plenty of ability. Having won a Grade 1 already this season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was to add another to his tally here.
Zenta (6-4, bet365) made a fine start to her hurdling career and won a Listed race at Auteuil for unraced fillies. She then hit the ground running after switching to Willie Mullins’ yard and won a Grade 3 on stable debut. Following that up with a fine third in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham last time out, she looks like the standout candidate here. Further improvement could be on the cards and she’ll be hard to beat if that’s the case.
Jolie Coeur Allen (9-2, bet365) must be highly regarded, as she’s yet to run for her current yard. It seems like she’s been thrown in the deep end a little here, as this is a competitive Grade 2. Her sole start came in a French bumper for previous connections and she finished second. She comes into this race as an unknown quantity but she receives a four-year-old allowance and the market suggests a big run could be on the cards.
If you back any of our selections you can watch them live on the free Racing Post app or racingpost.com. Simply log in to one of your bookmaker accounts and click ‘Watch live’ on the racecards.